A New Accomplishment

I was thinking about the whole thing with American Airlines this week. For those of you who are able to avoid the news (which I recommend, by the way), AA basically didn’t feel like making sure their wings weren’t going to fall off, until the government had to step in and force them to evict that family of possums living in the cargo area, so to speak. (“I call the big one Bitey!”)

So now they’re having to pay millions in vouchers to passengers, in addition to the cost of making repairs. Meanwhile, we’re all thinking, “How can they be so irresponsible?!” But how many times do you make all the repairs your car needs to keep running? I don’t know about you, but every time I even get my oil changed they “recommend” about $2,000 worth of repairs. I figure as long as the wheels stay on, I’m good (although last time they said I need to replace the wheel bearings, which actually do keep the wheels from falling off…).

Anyway, this led me to the most cynical thought I’ve had in my entire life, which many of you know is really saying something. What if the airline figured they’d just cruise along ignoring those squeaks and rattles, and if there was a crash the settlement paid to the victims’ families would cost less than inspecting and repairing all those planes? I have no idea of the cost involved, but it was an interesting thought.

And now, with your faith in humanity destroyed, enjoy your day.

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